The present invention relates to an arrangement for analysing and/or monitoring functions and/or structures in a distributed control system that works with a first protocol.
The analysis and monitoring of functions in distributed systems are already known, for example control systems for machinery, vehicles, for example cars, processes, etc, of the type described in the patent applications and patents submitted and obtained by the same applicant and/or inventor as in the present patent application. Reference is made, among other things, to SE 466 726 and SE 0101987-6.
Reference is also made to the fact that many machines, cars, etc, are constructed with subsystems that work with protocols that are basically distinct, but that work together through gateways or protocol converters. Thus, for example, in cars more sophisticated components can be arranged to work with protocols based on CAN (Controller Area Network), while simpler parts of subsystems work with, for example, LIN.
There is a need to be able to analyse, simulate and monitor the subsystems in question using the same analysis tool and for this purpose it has been proposed that a special hardware module should be used, connected to the basic unit or tool via an interface. In addition to the necessity of an additional interface, in this case a special version of the application is required.
There is also a need for an arrangement in which the tool, simulation and protocol functions can be allocated to different specialists in the respective fields, with the result that the development of tools and protocols can be kept separate and that the tool developer does not need to have a thorough knowledge of the version of the protocol or that the protocol developer does not need to have a thorough knowledge of the tool functions.
There is also a need, in connection with different subsystems of this kind, to have arrangements for reliable and accurate indication of the time, on which functions in the subsystem are to be based.
There is also a need to be able to allocate computation-intensive and memory-intensive calculation and analysis tasks to different incorporated components in an optimal way (cf. use of PC, PDA, etc). It is also advantageous in certain connections to be able to utilize unit(s) in or with different functions in different functional phases.